Local Heroes Presented Lifesaving Award

Spring 2017 Compassion, Excellence, and Community Service

F-M AMBULANCE SERVICE

VITAL SIGNS

Three local heroes were honored with the F-M

Ambulance Service Lifesaving Award for their role in

resuscitating a man after he experienced sudden

cardiac arrest while driving.

Adam Seyfried, Noah Nelson and Stephanie

Sorenson were awarded the Citizens Lifesaving

award, which is presented to community members

who are instrumental in helping during an emergency.

On December 9, 2016, Mark Dammann was driving

south on Interstate 29 when he went into sudden

cardiac arrest. The semi he was driving veered into

the ditch. Seyfried was driving behind Dammann and

knew something was wrong. He pulled over,

approached the semi and saw that Dammann was not

breathing. With help, Seyfried pulled Dammann out of

the the semi and started CPR while Sorenson, who also stopped to help, called 911.

Nelson and his wife were driving by at that time and noticed that something was wrong. Once they arrived at the

scene, Nelson saw Seyfried performing CPR and offered to help. Seyfried and Nelson did CPR until North Dakota

Highway Patrol Trooper Tony DeJean arrived with an automated external defibrillator (AED). DeJean hooked the

AED to Dammann, and it advised one shock. After that shock, DeJean performed CPR for two minutes before the

AED advised another shock. CPR was continued until F-M Ambulance Service arrived on scene.

Dammann experienced a sudden cardiac arrest, a condition in which the heart unexpectedly stops beating. If this

happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. Today, Dammann has made a complete recovery

and is back at home in Luverne, Minnesota.

“Only about 10 percent of people survive a sudden cardiac arrest,” said Kathy Lonski, Quality Improvement Manager

at F-M Ambulance. “In a situation like this, minutes count, and these four people did exactly what Dammann needed

in order to save his life. Everyone should know how to do CPR, and everyone should be familiar with what an AED

is. Without the quick recognition and response by Seyfried, Nelson, Sorenson and Trooper DeJean, there is no doubt

that Mark would not be alive today.”

At the awards ceremony, Lonski stressed the importance of knowing CPR. She said that in the Fargo, Moorhead

and West Fargo area, only about 33 percent of cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR. The longer a cardiac

arrest victim goes without CPR, the less chance they have at survival. As shown in Dammann’s case, a bystander’s

actions could save the life of someone in cardiac arrest.

Jerry Decker Award

2017 National Rural EMS & Care Conference

The third annual National Rural EMS and Care Conference

will be held on April 25 – 26 in Fargo. Invited attendees will

include EMS directors, medical director and officers, rural

health care providers, state EMS officials, state rural health

officials, hospital administrators, elected officials, federal

agency officials and other EMS partners.

The 2017 conference will feature two full days of speakers and

sessions. Attendees will learn about the future of rural EMS

and hospital collaboration making data useful, EMS providers’

role in rural population health, an active program, how

technology will help rural EMS, and national rural policy

changes and their local impact.

Community Paramedic Course

The Rural Cass County Ambulance and Rescue Association

honored Fargo’s Simulation in Motion – North Dakota (SIM-

ND) team with the Jerry Decker Award for their outstanding

dedication to rural emergency medical service in Cass

County in 2016.

Jerry Decker was a volunteer with Hunter Ambulance

Service. In 1992, Decker responded to a cardiac call; while

he was transporting the patient, he suffered a heart attack

and died. Decker’s life was filled with the need to help others;

he was instrumental in recruiting members for the Hunter

Ambulance squad and was also a peace officer and a

firefighter. The award was created in his honor and is given

aa

out annually to people or organizations who impact rural EMS in Cass County.

SIM-ND is a collaboration between many hospitals in North Dakota, including Essentia Health and Sanford Health,

and the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences to bring emergency care education to

rural areas. SIM-ND is a statewide, mobile education system using high-fidelity human patient simulators that talk,

breathe, have heartbeats and can react to medications and other actions to train pre-hospital and hospital personnel.

Training is focused on low-frequency-high-mortality encounters along with critically ill and injured patients. SIM-ND’s

goal is to improve emergency care skills of North Dakota emergency care providers.

The first F-M Ambulance/Sanford EMS Education/NDSCS Community

Paramedic class is near completion. Three students are currently in their

clinical phase and will complete the program in May.

Healthier patients result in fewer hospital admissions and re-admissions,

which ultimately reduce unnecessary expenses to the patient and the

healtchare

COMMUNITY

PARAMEDIC

healthcare system. The Community Paramedic program works on a referral system with medical providers and care

managers who identify patients who may benefit from our program. Community paramedics will provide services that

are outlined in the patients care plan and requested by the referring professionals.

Save a Life Saturday

Did you know that every 90 seconds, someone dies of cardiac arrest? Nationally, approximately forty percent of pre-

hospital cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR. In our community only about 33 percent of pre-hospital cardiac

arrest victims receive CPR. The longer a cardiac arrest victim goes without CPR the lower their chance of survival.

Most people who experience cardiac arrest at home, work, or in a public location die because they don’t receive

immediate bystander CPR. By knowing CPR, you could save the life of someone in cardiac arrest.

On Saturday, February 11, 2017 F-M Ambulance teamed up with other organizations from around our community to

host the fourth annual Save a Life Saturday at West Acres. Participants were able to learn hands-only CPR in less

than 4 minutes as well as how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED). Over 450 community members

participated and learned hands-only CPR.

To learn more about hands-only CPR, please visit handsonlycpr.org. For more information on CPR courses please

visit www.sanfordhealthemseducation.org.

The Clinical Corner Heart Attack

What is a heart attack?

A heart attack occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the

heart muscles is severely reduced or cut off completely. This

happens because coronary arteries that supple to heart muscles with

blood flow can slowly become narrow from a buildup of fat,

cholesterol and plaque.

When plaque in a heart artery breaks, a blood clot forms around the

plaque. This blood clot can block blood flow through the heart

muscles. When damage or death of part of the heart muscle happens

it results in a heart attack.

Buildup of plaque in coronary arteries

Approximately every 43 seconds, someone in the United States has a heart attack. A heart attack can be fatal, but

treatment has improved dramatically over the years. It is important to call 911 if you think you might be having a heart

attack.

Warning signs of a heart attack

- Chest discomfort

- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body

- Shortness of breath

- Breaking out in cold sweat

- Nausea

- Lightheadedness

Risk Factors

- Alcohol and/or tobacco use

- High blood pressure (hypertension)

- High cholesterol

- Inactive, poor diet and nutrition

- Obesity and overweight

- Diabetes

- High stress levels

Tougas Receives Award

Paramedic Tyler Tougas has been awarded the VFW Gold Medal Award for

EMS. Tougas was nominated for this award as a result of his consistent hard

work and dedication to the field of emergency medicine.

Tougas has been a part of the F-M Ambulance Service Disaster Services

committee for many years, playing in integral part in the organization, education

and training of the committee to help prepare F-M Ambulance personnel for

disaster response. Tougas also dedicates his free time to train and work as a

Search and Rescue K-9 handler. He is a shining example of what EMS is all

about. Congratulations Tyler!

Did You Know…

Buckle Up with Bucky

EMS Sneak Peek

Sanford Health will be hosting a First Responder Open

House at the new Sanford Medical Center in Fargo on

Friday, April 28. EMS providers, law enforcement and

firefighters are invited to join us to tour the new

building. Guided tours will be offered every hour from

8 a.m. through 7 p.m. Food and refreshments will be

provided all day and EMS personnel will be present to

answer questions.

The new Sanford Medical Center Fargo will open on

July 25, 2017. To reserve a spot on a tour, please

contact Kristi Engelstad at 701-364-1759.

Welcome to the Team!

F-M Ambulance Service recently received two brand new

Ford Transits. Both new Transits are capable to respond to

9-1-1 calls but will be used mainly for inter-facility and long

distance transfers.

When deciding on what type of trucks to purchase next, F-M

Ambulance looked at many data points, including the

number of inter-facility transports done in town each year.

Once the new Sanford hospital opens, the number of inter-

facility patient transports is projected to increase by around

3,000 trips annually. The Transits have some advantages

for these transports; they are less expensive to operate,

easier to maneuver in heavy in-town traffic and provide a

more comfortable ride for patients. Since the ambulance will

be used primarily for transfers, F-M Ambulance is going to

experiment with a paint change reflecting what other Sanford

Health owned ambulance services are utilizing. Depending

on

on the feedback from customers and the FMA team, changes to the entire fleet of vehicles may be considered. If

that happens, the changes would be made through attrition, instead of all at one time.

There are some interior differences as well as the exterior ones. The Ford Transits are slightly smaller and can only

accommodate one patient at a time. The Transits will have DVD players for longer transports. The patient care

compartment is set up so that the paramedic or EMT can sit facing the patient to improve patient care. There is also

a workstation for the EMS provider. The ceilings are higher than a standard ambulance, which allows EMS providers

to stand up when necessary. The leg room in the cab is also much greater.

Patricia Connole Paramedic FMA Seth Murray EMT FMA Lucas Soeby EMT FMA Madelyn Pennings EMT FMA Tim Swanson Paramedic FMA Robert Royer Paramedic FMA Arika Morgan Paramedic FMA

Buckle Up with Bucky is a child passenger safety

presentation that is geared to kids in grades K – 2. The

presentation creates a fun and easy way for EMS

professionals to communicate with children about seat

belt safety. Students receive a short presentation on

seat belt safety along with a tour of an ambulance.

Contact Kristi at 701-364-1759 for more information!

Heart Smart Presentations

F-M Ambulance Service is partnering with several key organizations in our

community on the Heart Smart Communities initiative. The Heart Smart initiative

is designed to bring community members, businesses and organizations together

to increase awareness of hands-only CPR and the American Heart Association’s

Chain of Survival. As part of the initiative, FMA representatives are visiting area

service clubs to teach members hands only CPR and show them how to use an

automated external defibrillator (AED). FMA wants our community’s residents to

have the best possible chance of survival after a sudden cardiac arrest.

Are you a member of a service club or other group who would like to have F-M

Ambulance speak about the importance of CPR and AEDs? Contact Kristi

Engelstad at 701-364-1759 to schedule the presentation. You never know when

you might save a life!

FAQ: Hands-Only CPR

What is hands-only CPR?

Hands-only CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth breaths. Since most

people who experience sudden cardiac arrest are at home, work or in

a public place, hands-only CPR is recommended for use by people

who see a teen or adult suddenly collapse in an out-of-hospital setting.

It consists of two easy steps: Call 9-1-1 and push hard and fast in the

center of the chest at a rate (or beat) of about 100 – 120 compressions

per minute. The beat to the classic disco song “Stayin’ Alive” is about

how fast you should push.

Is it really OK not to breathe?

In the first few minutes of an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest, hands-only CPR has been shown to be as

effective as CPR that includes breaths. Immediate hands-only CPR can actually double or even triple a person’s

chances of survival. If you are comfortable breathing for the patient and know how, we would still like you to

breathe… but if not, hands-only CPR is great too. Any attempt at CPR is better than no attempt.

Do you break ribs when you do CPR?

Broken ribs from CPR are more common in people that have a

history of brittle bones (osteoporosis, for example), or when chest

compressions aren’t being performed correctly (hands of

compressor are in the wrong place). The depth of compression

should be one third the chest depth of the person. The worry of

causing broken ribs shouldn’t deter people from helping someone

in cardiac arrest – doing something is better than doing nothing.

Can I get sued from doing CPR?

Good Samaritan laws generally provide basic legal protection for

those who assist a person who is injured or in danger. In essence,

these laws protect the “Good Samaritan” from liability if unintended

consequences result from their assistance.

We hope that you have enjoyed this edition of Vital Signs, a quarterly newsletter distributed by F-M Ambulance. An electronic edition of Vital Signs can be found on our website, www.fmambulance.com. If you have any ideas, questions, or comments about Vital Signs, please contact Kristi at 701-364-1759, or kristi.engelstad@fmambulance.com.

The Sanford Health EMS Education team has been

busy! Check out all of the exciting things happening

at SHEMSE!

Our staff has again had the honor of being invited to deliver

presentations at several regional conference. The ND EMS

Association (NDEMSA) holds four regional and one state

conference every year covering EMS topics of interest and for

required recertification hours. From January 14 – 15, we were at the

South East Region conference in Jamestown. Tom Dobrzynski

assisted with a heart/lung lab and presented on crew resource

management. Ron Lawler presented on communicable diseases

and also teamed up with Trista Berg and Thomas Taylor, Jr. to run

hands-on scenarios about triage, airway and obstetric emergencies.

From January 27 – 28, Robert Seifert spoke about special needs

care and Trista Berg did presentations on anaphylaxis and OB

aaaaa

Tom Dobrzynski was busy talking about paramedic school at

the recruiting booths that he manned at Trauma Tactics on

February 21 and Long Hot Summer in Minneapolis on March

3. Our program has over 30 students this year (we are the

largest program in the region).

Future conferences that we will present at include the

NDEMSA State conference in Bismarck (4/6/17 – 4/8/17) and

the MN Teaching and Learning in EMS Conference in St.

Cloud (4/27/17 – 4/28/17). We will also have recruiting booths

at many high school job fairs and the Southeast MN regional

conference in Rochester, MN.

In keeping with Sanford’s commitment to research, Ron

Lawler was invited back to Minneapolis to be a group leader

for the Fisdap EMS Research Summit in February. The

Summit is a workshop that attracts EMS educators, providers

emergencies at the North West Regional Conference in Minot. The weekend of February 18, SHEMSE attended and

had a booth at the NDEMSA North East Region Conference in Grand Forks, ND. Ron Lawler presented on how to

avoid EMS litigation.

and managers from around the country. For two days, educators immerse themselves in a focused research project

with the hope of publishing at least an abstract, if not a manuscript. This year’s attendees included a contingent of

educators from Australia and members of the Committee for Accreditation of EMS Education Programs.

In the last couple of months, we have taught hundreds of people in our initial and recertification courses. Initial course

numbers are strong: 40 EMR students, 42 EMT students, 8 AEMT students, 30 Paramedic students and 3 community

paramedic students. In January and February we taught 599 people EMS recertification sessions. We also had 13

BLAST (babysitting) participants, 382 CPR and First Aid participants, 81 ACLS students and 52 PALS students.